The Quiet Guardian: Schance Watkins’ Proactive Safety Mission

Growing up on Prince of Wales Island in the tiny communities of Craig and Hollis, Watkins learned early that in remote Alaska, self-reliance isn’t optional. He started working summers as a deckhand on his uncle’s fishing boat, developing the work ethic and attention to detail that would later define his safety approach. 

After various jobs including work on a small ferry between Prince of Wales and Ketchikan, Watkins joined Delta Western in July 2019. Starting as a gas station attendant and operations assistant, he earned his CDL in 2024 and was recently promoted to Operations Supervisor. His motivation remains simple: “I am motivated by my desire to provide for my family and give honest work for the money that I make.” 

Watkins’ transformation exemplifies Delta Western’s cultural shift from reactive to proactive safety. When the company launched its Hazard Observation program, he embraced it as “a way to give my best,” recognizing that management’s responsiveness made it “an effective way to address issues in the workplace that would make work a better place to be for everyone.” 

Site Manager Jake Eckhardt witnessed Watkins’ remarkable evolution: “I have really enjoyed watching Schance progress from noticing safety issues and reporting them, to noticing issues and asking permission to fix them, to noticing issues, figuring out solutions, and reporting on the resolution.” 

This progression reflects Watkins’ core philosophy: “Assume that everything that can go wrong will go wrong eventually and draw attention to it.” He admits to previously dismissing potential dangers, thinking “it will never actually happen”—a mindset he’s deliberately changed. 

Watkins’ safety vigilance extends beyond Delta Western’s operations to customer locations—a commitment that sometimes creates uncomfortable conversations. When he identifies unstable home heating fuel tanks in danger of falling, he refuses deliveries until hazards are corrected, regardless of customer frustration. 

“My manager supported my decision to refuse the delivery until it was fixed, which I’m grateful for,” Watkins explains. “Though the customer was upset, we avoided a serious problem down the road and the decision benefited both us and the customer.” 

His stop-work authority criteria are methodical: “I ask myself 1) is anyone in danger if we continue? 2) if it is safe to continue, but there is something wrong, is stopping the only way to ensure the issue is fixed before it becomes a danger.” He recognizes that continuing work when problems exist can “create the illusion that everything is ok.” 

Now training new drivers, Watkins focuses on developing safety thinking rather than just following procedures. “I try to encourage anyone I train to think about the consequences of an action before proceeding,” he explains. “I also try to make them feel that they can express a concern without me ignoring it.” 

This approach multiplies his impact across Delta Western’s operations. The company has documented over 1,200 hazard observations since launching the program—each representing a potential incident prevented through proactive identification and resolution. 

Watkins connects safety to efficiency, challenging the notion that they compete: “I have often found that safety and efficiency go hand in hand. Often taking the time to improve an unsafe situation makes many tasks quicker because you don’t have to watch out for as many dangerous situations in the future.” 

His humble approach to recognition—”I try not to focus on my own achievements”—reflects genuine commitment to collective success over personal accolades. In Alaska’s challenging environment, where small problems can quickly become life-threatening situations, Watkins represents the power of individual vigilance in building organizational resilience.